·Self esteem insecurities typically begin to show in
children ages eight and above

·Children who stutter are often excluded from peer
groups, making a child who is an inadequate speaker feel like he or she is an
inadequate person

·Preschool-aged children receive affirmation and
acceptance from home, so teasing tends not to affect self-esteem at this age
yet

·Communication expert Arun Khanna, of the Stuttering
Association of Toronto, argues that self-esteem tends to return by late
adolescence.

·Self-help groups that allow stutterers speak with
others who stutter can be a worthwhile and productive activity.

Strategies for Parents

Preventive Measures

·Parents
should start looking for speech disfluencies between the ages of two and five
in their children.

·An
open and honest parent-child relationship will help a stuttering child finesse
the tough period of time where bullying may take place.

·Assure
your children that you are always willing to listen and help, especially around
stuttering or teasing issues.

·Letting
a child know that he or she is not alone when they are being teased is very
important.

·Sharing
personal stories about how a parent overcame teasing when they were young can
impact a young child significantly.

·Despite
a child’s stutter, parents should ensure that they accept and love the child as
they are, stuttering and all.

Reactive Measures

·Parents should address teasing from siblings or peers and not
let it go unrecognized.

·Check with a school’s policy on teasing before sending your
child to school, and talk with the classroom teacher and/or principal to be
aware.

·Special treatment should not be shown to a stuttering child,
but adults should be on the lookout for potential teasing.

Strategies for
the Child Who Stutters

Preventative Measures

·Speech-language therapy is a common and effective
tool for children to cope with teasing and empower them in their communication
skills. For specific information on the speech-therapy services at Laughlin,
visit our website or get in contact with one of our awesome speech-language
pathologists at 412-741-4087!

Reactive
Measures

When face to face with a bully, a child
can choose to do one of the following:

·Avoid – The child can
alter his/her own behavior to avoid the teaser, such as walking a different
route home from school. The bully will lose interest.

·Ignore
–
The child learns to ignore the bully when teasing occurs, not reacting and
giving in the bully. The child may have to endure teasing for a long time
before it stops.

·Inform – The child
informs an adult when teasing takes place, effective if the adults present can
manage teasing well. Parents are often
more effective and willing to address teasing than teachers.

·Confront
–
The child learns to confront and inform the teaser. An example may be for the stuttering child to
say, “Yes, I stutter. It is a problem that is not my fault. Would you like to
learn more about why I stutter or what you can do to help me?” If employed in a
confident manner, this strategy can empower children who stutter, but may be
difficult.

·Witticism
–
The child learns to make light of his own stuttering problem in front of the bully. This strategy will benefit children who think
quickly and have the confidence to implement it. It is not an easily-coachable strategy.

Friends & Siblings

·Children
who are closest to children who stutter should be part of that child’s support
system.

·Allow
the stutterer extra time to speak, not to interrupt, and not to fnish their
sentences.

Teachers & The School Setting

·School
requires a lot of opportunities for children to speak in front of large
groups.

·Teachers
should have a sensitivity to these tasks, not asking children who stutter to be
put outside of their comfort zone.

·Teachers
should proactively look for teasing, address it immediately, and uphold respect
for others in the classroom.

The more aware that the world is about the types of speech and
language disorders, the better that understanding can be reached and bullying
put to an end. An initiative such as
listing famous people who stutter, like Michael J. Fox, is a great way to validate the disorder to
children. Reminding people that
stuttering is nobody’s fault, and that bullying or teasing is wrong.

This paper was submitted for SLP 1529H Fluency Disorders taught by
Dr. Luc De Nil, Department of Speech-Language Pathology University of Toronto,
May 28, 1999, and was added with permission June 1, 1999. To read the full article,click here.

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